This is a solid boulder opal carefully hand wrapped in Argentium sterling silver. This one is a Christmas gift for my mom, but she doesn't come here so it's safe to share it with you. Opal was my first gemstone sweetheart, and I still carry heartstrings for it!

Boulder opal is a type of opal that stays in the host ironstone matrix, and as such it's a lot easier for me to wire wrap, as I have less fear about scratching or cracking it. It's generally more durable than other types of opal. This boulder opal is from the Koroit Area; Queensland; Australia. Though it doesn't show in this still photograph, the veins of opal fire dance through the entire middle section, in all colors of the rainbow! It's really very, very pretty.

FAQ stuff, please read before asking:

- Yes! I do sell these! Though this one is for my mom, I have lots of other pendants. They are for sale here: [link]

-I hand wrap these pieces with nothing more than my fingers and some bitty pliers. -I purchase the stones already cut and polished from rock and gem shows. -My silver is purchased directly from a precious metals silver refinery.-I use several different gauge and shaped wires in each piece.-My methods are 100% self taught, unplanned, and haphazard and I do not plan on creating tutorials on how to make these. If you want to learn wire-wrapping there are already some good tutorials out there if you search on Google. Just please be respectful of the work and years I've invested in learning how to create my pendants and don't directly copy my work (I rely on these to pay my bills!).

Wow, this is a STUNNING piece. I love opals, and I love how there's a suggestion of wings in this one- I can actually almost see a seated gryphon (there's a sort of inverted teardrop that would be a half-folded wing, and the body is below it and the head is to the right of the wing.

Congratulations on wrapping such a beauty! =o Your mom is going to love it ^^

Opal was fun and horrible to cut and polish. You can't attach it to the dowel rod with wax, so you have to polish it by just holding it. I lost 4 fingernails to the diamond wheels cutting and polishing my opals =S bleh.

Do you have any resources on finishing these? I always mess up on the bail, and my book just doesn't make too much sense.